TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Government through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has assured that it would intensify effort at partnering with the industry stakeholders to help evolve, enable broad opportunities, foster innovation and build the African tech innovation ecosystem.

This assurance was made today at the maiden edition of the Global Tech Africa (GTA) Summit, an initiative designed to help Africa transform and ignite a flame of innovation that will illuminate the path towards creating a digital future in the continent.

The event was organised in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), United States Consulate General, Ascends Studios Foundation, and Future Map Foundation.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. William Nwankwo Alo who was represented by the Director of Information Communication Technology, (ICT) Mr. Samuel Okoye noted that the Summit presents a pathway for embarking on a journey to explore the immense opportunities that lies at the intersection of innovation, technology, and human progress.

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Dr. Alo emphasised that the potential of technological advancements is to bridge gaps, foster inclusivity, and ignite economic growth, therefore, the Summit catalyses the unlocking of these potentials and empowers Africans to become global leaders in technology.

He said the Pan-African Summit would foster a collective vision and help in harnessing technological power that could uplift communities, improve healthcare, education, access to information, drive sustainable agriculture, and improve innovation in all sectors of the economy.

“Today, we stand on the precipice of a transformative journey — one that will redefine the future of Africa and her people, and I believe with this kind of summit, which has congregated some of the best minds in the industry, we will shape a destiny where access to technology is no longer a privilege but a fundamental right for all Africans,” he added.

On his part, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE while delivering his keynote address said Africa is blessed with abundant talent, untapped potential, and a vibrant youthful population to play pivotal roles in the global tech ecosystem.

He posits the necessity of recognising the importance of uniting to reap the potential that lies ahead in the areas of e-commerce, fintech, and digital economy in general under the banner of Global Tech Africa (GTA).

Expressing optimism, he said that GTA would provide a powerful platform to unlock all these opportunities in Africa; though he expressed some skepticism about this, but he is convinced that with the playbook that has been developed to propel the realisation of these potentials, and has identified three steps that would ensure the unlocking of these potentials in a digital economy.

He believed that there is no reason for Africa to be left out in this Fourth Industrial Revolution after being left out in the first, second and third Industrial Revolutions.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about talent and technology. In Africa, we have the talent. The developed world has the technology. Technology will not work without talent; therefore, they need us to develop the technology while we need the technology to boast our economy,” he said.

While noting the need for talent development in Africa by saying that by 2030, there is going to be 85 million talent deficits globally, which will result in 8.5 trillion US dollars annualised value, Inuwa maintained that “Nigeria have proven that we have the talent. We have done that in sports, the music industry, the film industry, and we can do it in the technology ecosystem.”

He called for the need to embrace and create value via the ecosystem, saying that no one succeeds in isolation.

He said, “Looking at it globally, innovation is not evenly distributed but in clusters as ecosystem; therefore, the reason for this platform is to create a strong ecosystem in Nigeria and in Africa by partnering with all the key stakeholders that are captured under five categories in the ecosystem.

He listed the ecosystem partners as the high institutions that produce human capital, corporate organisations that absorb the human capital, entrepreneurs who can start and grow businesses, venture capital that can invest in those innovative ideas and lastly the government that makes policies and provide infrastructure in un-served and underserved communities.

Referring to the World Intellectual Property Organisation, (WIPO), the Director General noted that innovation ecosystem is worth more than five billion US dollars.

Citing Coferry report, Inuwa said a country or a region with a strong innovation ecosystem creates jobs at twice the rate of countries or regions with a weak innovation ecosystem, adding that according to Statista, digitally transformed enterprises contributed 13.5 trillion US dollars to the global GDP in 2018 and are projected to contribute 53.3 trillion US dollars this year, in 2023.

“That means innovation is winning when it comes to wealth creation, and we need the ecosystem to be able to benefit from it. This is what we are trying to build with GTA,” he said.

Apologetically he asserts that currently, the ecosystem is weak and needs to be reinvented through rebuilding the trust among stakeholders to aid the social contract within the system.

He described the government’s role from two angles as the rule-based and non-rule-based regulations. Stating that the objectives of all regulatory instruments are to create a market to enable innovation within the ecosystem, protect consumers and make service delivery more efficient.

In his conclusion, he appealed to the audience to welcome the goals of GTA Summit as a platform that places Africans at the forefront of innovation, growth, and prosperity.

“As a nation and continent, together we can make it possible; and together, we can unlock the boundless potentials in our continent, forging a future where technology drives positive change and creates opportunities for all,” Inuwa assured.

Other speakers at the event were, Will Stevens, the United State Consular General; Steffi Czerny, Co-founder, Digital Life Design (DLD); Bunmi Akinyemiju, Co-founder, Venture Garden Group; Emmanuel Tarfa, GTA Team and the Chief Convener, Dr Inya Lawal.

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TECHDIGEST – Global Tech Africa (GTA), an initiative of the Future Map Foundation designed and implemented by Ascend Studios Foundation; and in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos launches in Nigeria.

The Conference is designed to bring together African and international stakeholders in Tech, unlock growth opportunities, and build the tech ecosystem in Africa. Other partners include Business Sweden, Venture Garden Group, RivExcel Health, and other Tech Giants across the world.

Africa is poised to play a critical role in the global tech ecosystem, providing innovation, talent, and new market opportunities in areas such as mobile technology, e-commerce, fintech, ag-tech, and the digital economy.

The Director General of NITDA, Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi emphasizes the opportunities GTA can bring to Africa with Nigeria playing a significant role in driving the growth of the African tech ecosystem.

“Nigeria’s tech prowess ignites a flame of innovation that illuminates Africa’s path towards a prosperous digital future, fostering job creation and driving economic growth across the continent. Leveraging Nigeria’s youthful and tech-savvy population, favorable legislations, and policies, the country is well positioned to become Africa’s leading digital technology hub”

The United States has been a key partner to Nigeria in providing an enabling environment for the Tech ecosystem.

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“The U.S. Mission Nigeria will continue to promote partnerships that advance the development of Nigeria’s tech and startup ecosystem to catalyze technological progress and promote a more robust U.S.-Nigeria trade and investment relationship. Nigeria is rapidly being recognized by global tech companies as a center for tech talent and innovation and the U.S. Mission is committed to working with U.S. and Nigerian tech companies to harness this great potential.” – U.S. Consul General Will Stevens added.

A GTA Summit will take place in Lagos on the 25th of July 2023 with 300 tech stakeholders from the private, public, and development sectors. The summit will be followed by the GTA Conference in Lagos, Nigeria between the 17th and 20th of November 2023.

Speaking to the opportunities GTA will give to participants and attendees, Dr. Inya Lawal, the president of Ascend Studios Foundation and implementation partner for GTA, and Abdulsalam Umar, COO of Future Map affirm that GTA will attract support from private, public, and development sectors to explore opportunities for tech infrastructure and investment, support for start-ups, grants/seed investment as it also enables increased participation and growth of Women and Girls in the Tech Ecosystem.

The GTA conference will provide a platform for stakeholders, including investors, regulators, consumers, academia, and the general public, to engage in discussions and explore opportunities for collaboration to shape the future of Africa’s tech landscape.

The conference’s structure includes plenary sessions, breakout sessions, pitch competitions, exhibitions, sideline networking, and cocktail sessions.

Exposing the opportunities in the Nigerian Start-Up ACT and its offerings, with GTA as a meeting forum, the summit and conference will provide a platform for investors, regulators, and entrepreneurs to explore investment and global partnership opportunities.

GTA will provide a platform for consumers, enthusiasts, and the general public to engage with and learn from technology experts and practitioners – showcasing the latest technology trends in Africa and providing insights into future trends and innovations.

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TECHDIGEST – The United States (U.S) government yesterday promised to support programmes that provide youths with quality technological learning opportunities, which will translate to tech skills acquisition which it said remained crucial to Nigeria’s prosperity and economic competitiveness.

Its Consul-General, Will Stevens, gave the pledge when he joined representatives from leading American tech companies, Nigerian technology and business leaders for the official opening of the Digital Expert Academy in Lagos.

Founded by 21st Century Technologies, the Digital Expert Academy seeks to create opportunities to train and upskill young Nigerians in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, machine learning, cloud services, data science, data center management, among other tech fields.

Delivering keynote remarks on the theme “Technology as an Enabler and Tool for Empowerment,” Stevens said the U.S. government is committed to supporting programmes that provide youths with quality technological learning opportunities.

The U.S. envoy said the Joe Biden administration’s U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa aims to drive digital transformation and foster a digital ecosystem built on open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet and information and communication technology.

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“This initiative is investing in some of Nigeria’s richest resources – its young people. We hope that by developing local talent in tech fields, we help accelerate medium and long-term growth in Nigeria’s and indeed Africa’s digital economy,” Stevens said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman/CEO, 21st Century Technologies Group, Wale Ajisebutu, said the Digital Expert Academy will help bridge the gap between youth and employers by better connecting young people with the changing needs of the private sector and the skills needed to succeed in the digital economy.

He added that the academy will partner leading American tech companies such as Microsoft and Oracle to provide trainees with world class learning opportunities. The academy, he added, is open to youth who are at least 18 years with minimum of a high school diploma.

The envoy said the U.S. Mission supports Nigeria’s burgeoning tech scene and encourages the creation of the enabling environment necessary to foster a sector that contributes to a more prosperous future for all its citizens.

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